Wetsuits and Swimming Costumes
by Caramelchan
Summary: Tony and Kate have an argument about swimming. [Tateish]


"I am not going in that water!"

"Yes you are Tony! Someone has to collect the evidence!"

Tony frowned at Kate.

"Why don't you do it?" There was a stagnant pause. "Haha! I got you! You do it!"

Kate glared at Tony.

"I'm not going in there… It's cold and dirty and… And, Tony, you should be a gentleman for once!"

Like Tony could ever be classed as a gentleman…

"… and I'm sure that you can swim much better than I can," Kate continued, using flattery to try and win her argument. "And with you being so tall, your feet won't be that far from the bottom anyway…" Kate took a small step forward so she was standing so close to Tony that they were almost touching. "What do you say?"

Tony shifted his weight from one foot to another, not making eye contact with Kate as she looked at him expectantly.

"Kate?" Tony asked, a little sheepishly. "Can you actually swim?"

"Yeah…Of course I can…" Kate answered, made cautious by Tony's sudden change in attitude. "Not as well as you, obviously…" she added as an after thought.

"Look Kate," Tony muttered, "There is no way I am going in that water. Okay?"

"Yes you are Tony!"

There was another pause, which Tony broke a moment later.

"Icantswimokay?" he said, very quickly and quietly so that it was almost inaudible.

"What was that Tony? I didn't quite hear!" Kate asked sceptically. "It sounded to me that you said that you can't swim. But that can't be true…can it?"

His response, a nod, caused Kate's face to twist into a mirthless expression. She was trying her best to hold back her laughter.

When she had calmed down and taken a few deep breaths, Kate was ready to continue.

"Alright then Tony. I'll do this swim, but you get the next three dumpster dives. Deal?"

Tony cracked his usual Dinozzo smile as Kate walked off to get changed in the back of a van. His plan had worked…

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… or so he thought.

Two and a half hours later, Tony was in the driving seat of the NCIS truck, a scowl locked on his face.

That was bad planning Dinozzo, he thought as he drove. Why didn't you realise that she wasn't going to go in that lake wearing anything less that a wetsuit?

"Why are you in such a bad mood Dinozzo?" Kate asked as she sat in the passenger seat and towelled her hair. "I mean, you didn't have to go swimming in that lake!"

Tony grunted in response.

After a second: "Are you worried about this not-being-able-to-swim thing? Because if you are, I'll teach you."

Kate kept her eyes straight ahead, acting nonchalant while Tony considered her offer, but Tony was struggling to stay calm, to not give the game away.

"Um… sure," Tony said. "But this had better not just be an excuse for you to see me with no shirt."

Tony was back to his old self and Kate was distracted from the fact that he 'couldn't swim'. The plan was going well.

"Oh please Tony," Kate cried exasperatedly. "That is something I've seen to many times…"

She hit him on the arm with the towel that she was using to dry her hair while Tony pretended to look hurt for a second, but soon started laughing. Kate joined in soon after and when they got back to NCIS, they both had grins on their faces.

--------------------

Kate kicked her legs hard, cutting through the water at a speed Tony hadn't expected that she could produce. He stood and watched her from the doorway between the changing rooms and the pool as she pounded up the lane. When she reached the end, she stopped and glanced around for Tony. Seeing him in the entrance, looking apprehensive, she grinned a little before getting out of the pool to greet him.

"Nervous, Dinozzo?" Kate asked, with a grin.

Tony swallowed; he hadn't been nervous before, but when Kate climbed out of the pool, Tony was suddenly a little edgy. Luckily for him, she still thought that that was because he had to swim.

Tony shook his head a little, before following Kate to the side of the pool.

"Come on, it's easy," she told him confidently before diving in.

"I know," he muttered darkly.

That was Tony's cue to show his true colours. He followed Kate into the pool and swam the length, faster even than she could swim and caught up with her near the other end. He reached out and touched her feet, letting her know that he was there. She lifted her head and looked around.

"Tony? What are you doing here?"

"Well, you invited me for a swimming lesson," Tony replied.

Kate scowled as she kicked her legs, keeping her head above the surface.

"I mean, how did you get down this end so fast?"

Tony put on an expression of mock thought.

"I swam, I think. But I might have teleported," he said seriously. Seeing Kate's look of annoyance: "I swam! What did you expect?"

"Tony, you told me that you couldn't swim," she muttered coldly.

"And you believed me? You really think they'd left me in the Navy if I couldn't swim?"

Kate was still shooting daggers at him, so he decided to apologise.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay?"

Kate nodded and her expression softened. A bit.

"Why did you agree to come swimming then?"

Tony, who was tall enough to be standing even in the deep water, considered this question. He had just decided the best way to tell Kate the truth, without her hating him, when she swallowed a mouthful of water while trying to keep her head up.

She coughed and spluttered, choking on the strong taste of chlorine that was in her nose, mouth and throat. Without realising what he was doing, Tony put one arm around her waist and held her out of the water, so she could clear her throat. A few seconds of coughing later, Kate was okay and breathing again. But she didn't take her hands away from Tony's shoulder when he released her waist.

"So why did you agree to come and let me teach you how to swim when you can obviously swim fine?"

Tony put his arm back around Kate and pulled her in towards him, so their sides were pressed together underwater. Kate was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the fact that they were both, effectively, only wearing their underwear. However, she still didn't try and get away from him.

"Why did I agree to swim? Well Katie, that's because I always wanted to see you in a swimming costume."

He grinned his usual grin at her and, to his surprise, saw that she was grinning back.


End file.
